Summary:
The 61018 zip code in Illinois is home to two schools: Dakota Elementary School and Dakota Junior Senior High School, both part of the Dakota CUSD 201 district. While Dakota Elementary maintains respectable performance, the standout school in the area is Dakota Junior Senior High, which ranks in the top 15% of Illinois high schools and boasts impressive student outcomes.
Dakota Junior Senior High School shines with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, a 90.4% 4-year graduation rate, and strong student performance on standardized tests, including 35.5% proficiency in SAT English Language Arts and 38.7% in SAT Math, well above state averages. The school also excels in science, with 75.4% of students proficient or better on the ISA Science exam. In contrast, while Dakota Elementary School meets or exceeds district and state averages in some areas, its performance does not reach the same high levels as the high school, and its statewide ranking has declined over the past 3 years.
Both schools have similar student demographics, with free/reduced lunch rates around 28-29%, suggesting socioeconomic factors may not be the primary driver of the academic outcomes. The data highlights the stark difference in performance between the elementary and high school, indicating the district may be doing an excellent job at the secondary level but has room for improvement at the elementary level. Understanding the factors behind this discrepancy could provide valuable insights to help the district improve outcomes across all grade levels.
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